Miss Earth Contestant: The Best Way To Go Green Is To Go Vegetarian

London – Today, wearing a bikini made of lettuce leaves – complemented by a diamante crown – and holding a sign that reads, “Save the Earth: Go Veg”, Miss Earth contestant Maragarita Nazarenko led a PETA demonstration outside Smithfield Market, the largest meat market in the UK. The bikinied beauty’s point? That the best thing that anybody can do if they want to protect the environment is to go vegetarian.

“I’ve always been concerned about the health of the planet and my own health, so going vegetarian is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” says Nazarenko, who is representing London in the Miss Earth pageant. “Vegetarians have the satisfaction of knowing that every time they sit down to a delicious meatless meal, they’re helping to reduce their environmental footprint and stop animal suffering too.”

A recent UN report found that the meat industry is “one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global”. The report calls the livestock sector “a key player in increasing water use” and “probably the largest sectoral source of water pollution”.

Also, vegetarians and vegans are, on average, significantly trimmer than meat-eaters are, and they are less likely to suffer from heart disease, cancer, strokes and diabetes. And billions of animals raised for food each year endure routine abuse on crowded, filthy factory farms, where they are subjected to painful mutilations and face terrifying deaths.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Foundation—a charitable company limited by guarantee, with its registered office at 125 London Wall, London, EC2Y 5AS. Registered in England and Wales as charity number 1056453, company number 3135903.